An electronic disabling device can be used to refer to an electrical discharge weapon or a stun gun. The electrical discharge weapon connects a shocking power to a live target by the use of darts projected with trailing wires from the electrical discharge weapon. The shocks debilitate violent suspects, so peace officers can more easily subdue and capture them. The stun gun, by contrast, connects the shocking power to the live target that is brought into direct contact with the stun gun to subdue the target. Electronic disabling devices are far less lethal than other more conventional weapons such as firearms.
In general, the basic ideas of the above described electronic disabling devices are to disrupt the electric communication system of muscle cells in a live target. That is, an electronic disabling device generates a high-voltage, low-amperage electrical charge. When the charge passes into the live target's body, it is combined with the electrical signals from the brain of the live target. The brain's original signals are mixed in with random noise, making it very difficult for the muscle cells to decipher the original signals. As such, the live target is stunned or temporarily paralyzed. The current of the charge may be generated with a pulse frequency that mimics a live target's own electrical signal to further stun or paralyze the live target.
To dump this high-voltage, low-amperage electrical charge, the electronic disabling device includes a shock circuit having multiple transformers and/or autoformers that boost the voltage in the circuit and/or reduce the amperage. The shock circuit may also include an oscillator to produce a specific pulse pattern of electricity and/or frequency.
Current electronic disabling devices take the lower voltage, higher current of a battery or batteries and convert it into a higher voltage, lower current output. This output must contact an individual in two places to create a full path for the energy to flow. For stun guns, this output is provided to two metal contacts on the contacting side of the device that are a short distance apart. On the electronic discharge weapons, this output is provided to two metal darts (or probes) that are propelled into the live target (or individual). The distance between the probes is normally larger than the stun gun contacts to allow for a greater effect of the live target. The metal probes are connected to the electrical circuitry in the device by thin conducting wires that carry the energy from/to the device and from/to the metal probes.
Typically, an electronic disabling device produces an output having a sinusoidal output waveform with positive and negative amplitudes as shown in FIG. 1. This indicates that the electrons will first flow in a first direction, and a substantial number of the electrons will then flow in a second, opposite direction. That is, the negative (or opposite) amplitude in the sinusoidal output waveform shown in FIG. 1 is mainly caused by the electrons flowing in the opposite direction for a part of the cycle of the waveform. Therefore, a larger than necessary amount of electrons flowing in the opposite direction may be used on a person that could have been sufficiently immobilized by the electrons flowing in the first direction.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to create an electronic disabling device for immobilization and capture of a live target having a half-cycle uni-pulse output waveform as shown in FIG. 2 and/or having an output waveform other than a sinusoidal output waveform (a non-sinusoidal output waveform) as, e.g., shown in FIGS. 2 and 10. In addition, it would be desirable to provide an electronic disabling device that can selectively apply a sinusoidal output waveform and a uni-pulse output waveform such that the electronic disabling device does not apply an output waveform to a live target that might possibly be unsafe to that particular individual.